V-Flyer

As i have been away for a while i couldnt be bothered to trawl through and see if anyone else has posted this news- if they have sori, you can lock this thread.

Just read on a.net and baa.com that the following is official with regards to who gets which terminal:

Terminal One: Star A
Terminal Two: All non alliance european carriers
Terminal Three: All non alliance Intercontinental carriers (VS!)
Terminal Four: Skyteam (??!!)
Terminal Five: One World

VS are staying due to the fact that they have invested heavily in clubhouse, like the idea of a quieter T3, baa are making a380 gates here, new pier 6 opening and they wont waste money in taxiing to/from t4! Rumour on the grapevine is that T3 check in will be extended to occupy the current T3 multi stori and that VS want to put the clubhouse above check in zone a- currently where Burger King etc are.

Now couple of pointers- skyteam do have enough carriers to operate T4- CSA, KLM,Air France, Alitalia, Korean. aeromexico have been looking at LHR along side MAD for a while now. There are enough widebody gates in T1- SAA currently use 4 and the europier are all capable of handling widebodied a/c- infact only last week it had 4 b747s parked alongside each other. The only question is what if bmi/vs merge!

VAA have acquired the vacated lounge area next to the LHR Clubhouse and plan to expand into it, eventually providing almost double the current space. When I passed through on October 8th work had not yet begun but I was told it was imminent.

If they were to relocate to the area you suggest above their Zone A check-in desks, they would (obviously) be landside rather than airside, personally I can't see that happening but would welcome others input?

Personally, I'd vote for airside lounges.

It is far better to be able to relax in a lounge until called for boarding than worry about queues (Fastrack or not) getting through security etc.

Also, if the lounge is landside, you also have to leave time for duty free shopping after you leave the lounge

Just my 2d worth

Do Skyteam really have enough flights to occupy T4. It would be a bit of a ghost town compared to what it is not.

Star Alliance at T1 should be interesting too.

Airside lounges are deffinatly the best. Connecting passengers can use them and there will be less issues about people being late for flights or missing them due to security. It only really works in places with few flights per day with few connecting pax.

BMI and VS seem to be the only to airlines that won't have to move terminals! Must be very inconvenient for all the other *A airlines.

However, with AA and Korean leaving, that will mean all the lounges next to the clubhouse are empty and ripe for taking over by VS. Could we see a PE lounge with paid drinks?

I for one am very happy with the changes. It should make flying a lot easier (albeit not much on VS). Anyone know if there is a schedule for these changes?

With double the space I echo the question made by 'CryptKeeper' as to whether lounge access is going to be opened up to 'Silver' or PE passengers.

I wouldn't mind paying for access and I think the Priority Pass has indicated that there is a good market for this if space is available.

Either that or open it up to AMEX Platinum???

JC

yes i had forgotten about the vacant lounges in t3 so i would agree that airside clubhouse is the best.

With regards to skyteam there daily arrivals to LHR is as follows:

Air France: 20 daily flights from Paris, Toulouse and Nice
Alitalia: 12 flights from Rome and Milan
Czech: 2 flights from Prague
KLM: 14 flights a day from Amsterdam,Eindoven and Roterdam
Korean: 1 flight from Soeul
China Southern: Flight from Shanghai

1 would guess that they are hoping to be able to get Continental, Aeromexico,Delta, NWA into LHR as well but 1 feels they would be waiting a while. Other codeshare partners may join them as well like aeroflot who have a MOU with skyteam etc.

What will SQ do?
they own 49% of Virgin and have lounge access agreements for their F ticket holders etc

BAA regs currently dont allow airside access for lounges if your not flying from that lounge..

j

quote:With double the space I echo the question made by 'CryptKeeper' as to whether lounge access is going to be opened up to 'Silver' or PE passengers.

If Virgin were to look at extending Lounge access instead of over-whelming the Clubhouse with Silver, PE passengers - i am guessing this would add an awful lot of passengers. How about a PE & Silver Lounge? Bit more basic, comfy seating, drinks and nibbles, internet access etc. But something that adds to the benefits of Silver FC membership but doesn't detract from UC / Gold passengers?

Foz )

Wouldnt it be easier to offer access to another airlines lounge[?]

VS have done this before as a special for Ag for LHR departures

quote:Originally posted by fozzyo
How about a PE & Silver Lounge? Bit more basic, comfy seating, drinks and nibbles, internet access etc. But something that adds to the benefits of Silver FC membership but doesn't detract from UC / Gold passengers?

Sounds like a good idea - perhaps something akin to the Blue Room which DJ operate down under?

To have PE's in the clubhouse would degrade the experience for UC pax.

Definately agree with you on that Jonathan, don't know what the economics of it all. But I suppose that if Virgin wanted to add some value to the Silver membership / PE product they have three options:

1) Open their own Virgin Silver lounge
2) Offer access to another lounge, ie ServisAir
3) Look at including some level of Priority Pass with Silver membership.

Either 2 or 3 would be a welcome addition as 1 would really be prohibitively expensive.

Foz )

SQ I guess will be included in a lounge within T1. Star Alliance currnetly do have there own 'star alliance lounges' i believe there are 2 in the world- perhaps they will put one into t1. Of course if (and thats a big if) we were to join the *a then what would happen!